Lighting it up
by QuillVA
Summary: This is a little longer than my usuals. Based on the episode where Silas punches Shane in the face for stealing his lighter. Nancy is fired up. Warning contains spanking in later chapters. Don't like, don't read, don't flame.
1. Chapter 1

"Okay, sweetie, just hold that against your eye. Mommy's got to go kill your brother", Nancy settled her grimacing youngest son into a chair. Fuming, she grabbed her keys, her purse, and her latte and headed out the door. Almost as soon as she'd gotten the car started, she cut the ignition off, laying her head on the steering wheel. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't cry, she wouldn't cry.

What the fuck was going on today? First she'd gotten ripped off by that red-necked rent-a-cop. Fourteen thousand dollars down the drain. Gone. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Shane had tried to burn the school down. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but he had started a fire nonetheless. And now Silas. The thought of her seeing him hit his little brother, and watching her baby boy cowered on the floor made Nancy's blood boil. She was going to kill him. She turned the car on again, and started backing out of the driveway. Before she could pull all the way out, Andy came rushing from the house up to the window.

"Pants! Good. I thought you'd left already"

"Don't call me Pants, Andy. What is it?"

"Okay. Okay, I know that what Silas did was wrong, but whatever you're going to do, yell at him or whatever; I think you should just wait until you get back home to do it"

"Andy he…"

"Just, hear me out. He _really_ likes this girl. So, I know he was wrong to go all Holyfield over a lighter, but just, you know, cut the kid some slack. It was Judah's lighter. You know, just, don't come down on him in front of the girlfriend", Nancy seethed, gripping the steering wheel as she thought about what he said.

"I'll think about it", she said finally, releasing the brake and heading towards Megan's house. She knew that was where to find her wayward teen.

Driving, she thought back to the last few months. This was her fault mostly, right? After Judah died, she hadn't been as involved in the kid's lives as she should be. She'd been so busy with business that she hadn't really stopped to look at what they were doing. Sure, they'd both been misbehaving a little, but she hadn't wanted to come down too hard on them. She told herself they'd been through enough. Looking back, maybe she just hadn't wanted to deal with it. But, that was ending today. She'd already taken care of Shane, but if Silas needed a push in the right direction too, he was definitely going to get it.


	2. Chapter 2

Silas sat on the sofa in the living room of Megan's house, surrounded by her and her parents. _They_ knew how he was feeling. He'd told them about Shane taking the lighter, and they completely understood. Sure, he'd left out the part about punching the little shit, but they didn't need to know everything, right? Anyway, he didn't want them thinking he was some anger management case. They were super nice, and if they thought he was all mental or whatever, they would want him to stop dating Megan. He _really_ liked her; even more than he had liked Quinn. He reached out for her hand as the doorbell rang. Looking up at her, he blew her a kiss. She smiled, then looked past him confused. Following her glance, he saw his mother standing in the doorway. Eyes widening, he tried not to look terrified, but his attempts at looking calm ended up in a look of surprised worry.

"Mom", he managed to squeak out of his suddenly dry throat. Dammit. His voice was cracking like a thirteen year old. Real smooth, Silas.

"Hey, sweetie", his mom said in a voice too sweet to be real, "Can I talk to you in the hallway, for a quick second"

Silas weighed his options for a moment. He didn't know what his mother was going to say or do once they got to the hallway. Then again, he knew she wouldn't hesitate to embarrass him in this room either. He could jump through the window, but Megan's family might be a little suspicious. And then, he would have to pay for a new window. He didn't have that kind of money.

"Silas", a slight raise of her eyebrows let Silas know he was out of time for decision making. He stood up and made his way past her, leaving as much room in between them as he could manage in the small door frame. Once they were further down the hallway, Nancy stopped and the pleasant expression she'd painted on her face vanished. She stepped toward Silas until he was backed up against a wall.

"Mom, mom, mom…" Silas looked around to see if anyone was in the hallway

"Shut up, Silas", Nancy hissed, trying to keep her voice down to a whisper, "You have no _idea_ how much trouble you are in. I mean, first you punch your ten year old brother in the face, and then you walk over to your girlfriend's house like nothing happened?"

"I can explain…"

"No, you can't. Usually I would ask you to give me one good reason why I shouldn't beat your ass right here, but I know that you don't have one", Silas' stomach flipped. She couldn't do that here. Everyone would know what was happening. What if Megan came out and saw; she would never talk to him again. Besides, he was fifteen; he was too old to get spanked, right…. right?

"Mom, I…"

"Save it. Now, you can thank your Uncle Andy for the next words coming out of my mouth. I know you like this girl, so I'm giving you two minutes… two minutes, that's 120 seconds, to get your things and meet me out at the car. If you are not outside in two minutes, I _will_ come back inside. And you really don't want me to do that. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am", Silas nodded quickly. Nancy let him get past her and headed out towards the car. He rushed back in to grab his book bag. His anxiety built as he dodged all the questions and invites to dinner. He claimed a family emergency and hurried outside just as his mother was headed back up the sidewalk. Nodding, she turned around silently and headed back for the car. He breathed a sigh of relief and followed.


	3. Chapter 3

The drive home was as tense as it was silent. Silas sat staring out the window, only looking up to throw the occasional angry look in his mother's direction. How could she get so mad at him? Of course she wasn't upset about her precious little Shane _stealing_ his lighter in the first place. No, he was just a baby. But Silas went a _little_ overboard protecting what was his, and suddenly it was time to whip some ass. It was so completely unfair. Well, he was too old to get spanked like a little kid. She'd just have to ground him or something. He was practically a man now.

Nancy tried to keep her eyes on the road. If what he'd done wasn't enough, Silas' current attitude was enough to make her want to give him a whole lot worse than just a spanking. She couldn't believe that he was actually _pouting_. If Andy hadn't stepped in, he would have had a lot more to pout about, that's for sure. Ugh. God put teenagers on this earth just to test good natured mothers on the whole "Thou shall not kill" thing. And if her son let out one more discontented sigh, she was going to fail. Big time. Finally she pulled the car into the driveway.

"Get out", she ordered, not missing the eye roll that she got in return. He walked nonchalantly ahead of her until she caught up and pulled him through the doorway by the arm. Releasing him none too gently, she threw her bag onto the sofa.

"Go to your room. I'm, I can't even look at you right now. Just go", Silas stomped up the stairs, slamming his door behind him, and Nancy used every bit of restraint in her body not to go after him. Collapsing on the couch next to her purse, she grabbed a pillow, buried her head in it and screamed. Andy was heading into the kitchen, and detoured at the sight of his furious sister in law. Deciding that the sandwich could wait, he made his way over.

"Hey, Pants. So, tough day at the office?"

"Stop calling me Pants", the muffled answer came through the pillow. She put it down and took a deep breath, "I don't know what to do with that kid. He makes me feel sorry for… what's-her-name. The lady that drowned her kids"

"Andrea Yates?"

"Yes. Good old Andrea"

"What happened?"

"I listened to you. I didn't yell at him in front of her parents, and I didn't pull his pants down in the hallway. I told him to get his stuff and come outside. So, he does. Good. Then, the whole ride home, he's shooting glares at the side of my head, and sighing out the window. I wanted to reach over and slap the attitude right out of him", Nancy said sounding more tired than angry now. Andy pulled off her shoes and began massaging her feet.

"Pants, he's a teenage boy, and you probably scared the shit out of him when you came to pick him up. I mean, you were scaring me and I'm not even your kid. Of course he's mad. No guy likes to be scared. We automatically clam up, act all macho and angry. It's a guy thing", Nancy relaxed a little, both from the massage and the words.

"You really think that's it? He's not just being a brat?"

"Of course he's being a brat. He's a teenager. But, it's mostly the other thing"

"Thanks, Andy"

"No problem. So, what are you going to do to him?"

"I don't know. I thought I should spank him, but he is getting older"

"Are you kidding me? I got my last spanking when I was nineteen… and a half. He punched his little brother in the face. I think it's time"

"You're right. I guess I'll spank him and ground him for a couple of weeks"

"Wow, Mommie Dearest. Corporal punishment and the brig? Harsh", Nancy kicked him playfully with the foot he was holding. He laughed blocking the blows, "I'm joking. I'm joking. Now, go upstairs and beat your child like a good mother"

Nancy rolled her eyes and sighed, getting up.

"Do you really think I'm doing the right thing?"

"It's what Judah would have done if he were here", the statement gave Nancy courage, and she climbed the stairs, ready for a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

Silas stood up from his desk when his mother came into the room. Nancy could see that his attitude hadn't improved much. She pushed aside her aggravation and tried to talk with him nicely.

"Ok sweetie, listen…" Silas cut her off mid-sentence.

"Mom, all of this is completely unfair. You made me leave Megan's house and threatened to beat _my_ ass, all because I got mad at Shane for stealing _my_ lighter. Which, you did nothing about by the way. And sure, maybe I shouldn't have hit him, but you're totally overreacting. You can't just spank me like I'm some little kid. I'm practically an adult", the teenager didn't notice his mother's growing rage until after he'd finished the speech he'd gone over in his head so many times. He tried to swallow back the fear that was churning up. Nancy had had enough. She was furious. _Maybe_ he shouldn't have punched his little brother in the face? _Maybe_? And she was _overreacting_? Oh, she would show him overreaction. She grabbed him by the arm, pushing him towards the bed.

"You are absolutely right. I shouldn't spank you like a little kid", she pushed him face down over his pillows and undid her belt, "If I was going to spank you like a little kid, you'd go over my knee, and I'd use my hand. But you're right. You're too big for that. So, congratulations, you've graduated to the belt"

"No. Mom, wait", Silas tried to raise up, but a hand on his back held him in place. Nancy brought the belt down hard and Silas' whole body jerked from the pain. He let out a loud yell. He barely had time to catch his breath before another blow came down, and another, and another. Nancy kept up a constant rhythm, and even over his denim shorts, the boy felt like his bottom was on fire. He was determined not to give her any more of a reaction than he already had. He cried silently, stifling all of his yells by biting down on his pillow. God, it hurt so fucking bad. And he'd thought his mom's hand had hurt. He squirmed, trying to get out of the way of the blows, barely noticing when the belt stopped for a moment. His stomach dropped when he felt his mother tug his shorts and boxers down, and then replace her hand on his back. All thoughts of keeping quiet fled his mind as she laid a stripe down over his bare skin.

.

"You are never to hit your little brother again. Do you understand me?" he nodded, crying too hard to speak. Nancy brought the belt down again.

Owwwwwwwwww. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please Mom. No more.

"And when you know that you've done something wrong, you don't run away to someone else's house"

Okaaaaaaay. Okaaaaaay. Pleeeeeaaaaaasssse.

"And about this attitude you've been giving me", she let the belt fly

.

"You had better change it", she brought it down again

Aaaahoooooowwwwwwwww. Sssss. Mmmph.

"Or you will find yourself here. Again. And. Again." She accented each word with a blow, turning Silas' cries into sobs. Seeing the change, Nancy stopped and put her belt back through its loops. The sound of her son's cries stabbed at her heart, but she'd had to do something. He was losing control. Sitting down on the bed next to him, she put her hand on his head. Silas pulled away, still crying. Guilty and hurt, Nancy left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Andy knocked on Silas' door still drained from comforting Nancy. He hadn't seen Pants that upset since the funeral. She was crying, actually crying. It had taken him an hour just to get her to calm down a little. Andy had heard the spanking, and sure it sounded pretty bad, but it wasn't anywhere near as harsh as it could have been. If Andy had given his parents the kind of trouble Silas had caused that day, he'd be sporting a black eye along with his red ass. Silas had to understand that his mom was just trying to set him straight.

Opening the door, he found his nephew laying stomach down on the bed picking at the carpet. The kid looked miserable. He hadn't bothered putting his pants back on and you could see the shade of dark red peeking out from underneath his boxers. His eyes were almost a match for his bottom.

"Hey, buddy. How's the… butt", Silas looked up for long enough to glare.

"Is there something that you want?" he spit out.

"Ok, ok. Look, I just wanted to make sure you were alright. When your mom was downstairs she said she was going to give you a spanking. I didn't expect to hear the leather cracking. I was just checking up"

"Well she _was_ going to give me a regular spanking. But I told her I was too old for that. Then, she got all mad and started whipping my ass"

"You told your mom you were too old for a spanking?"

"Well, yeah"

"Why", Andy tried to hold back a laugh unsuccessfully. This kid was crazy. Hadn't he seen his mom's face earlier? Timing, dude. Timing.

"It's not funny. I mean, I'm practically a man. And besides why should I get punished, when Shane gets off scot-free. He's the one who stole my lighter in the first place"

"See that's where you're wrong. You gotta check the facts man. Shane was done before he even got home"

"She spanked him too?" Silas felt a little guilty. He definitely wouldn't have hit him if he knew he'd already gotten thrashed on.

"He didn't even make it past the parking lot man. In the backseat of the car."

"Oh. Shit"

"Did you really think your mom would be that unfair?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's like since Dad died, she doesn't even care anymore."

"Oh come on, man. Save the sob story. Your mom lost someone too, you know. And if she didn't care, I wouldn't have spent the last hour in there comforting her. See she's in there convinced she's a horrible parent, because she gave you exactly what you deserved. And you should be grateful to her, because I guarantee you, if you would have pulled this stuff when your Dad was still alive you would have gotten a lot worse. But you know that don't you", Silas went silent, looking down at the floor again.

"Yeah that's what I thought. FYI, you're not a man. You're a kid. And you need to go apologize to your mom. She needs you", Andy looked at Silas for a moment, then closed the door leaving the boy alone with his thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6

Nancy sat on her bed berating herself. How could she be so stupid? She should never have used her belt on him; he was just a little boy. It just, it had seemed like the right thing to do at the time. He _was _growing up, and she just didn't think that a grounding him, or even just using her hand would have worked. But it was too much. She'd really hurt him. Silas had never pulled away from her like that after a spanking. She'd fucked up. Bad.

"Come in", the knock on her door shook Nancy out of her thoughts. She straightened herself up, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was shocked when Silas walked through the door looking more sheepish than angry.

"Hey, Mom. Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure sweetie. Come on over here", Silas the bed. He stood on the opposite side, just outside of her reach, making Nancy's heart sink. He was scared of her now? God, what had she done?

Silas tried to get his thoughts together. He knew his mom had to be mad with him for being so stupid. He wanted to go over and hug her right now, let her tell him it was alright, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I just, umm. I just wanted to say. About the spanking… I, umm…", Nancy cut him off.

"I know it was too much, and I'm really sorry. I thought you could handle it, but I understand if you want to, you know, hold this against me forever. Just know that I'm really, really, _really_ sorry", she tried to keep herself from crying, but a few tears slipped out. Her son's hurt expression didn't help. He stepped forward a bit, then stopped in his tracks, emotional. Finally after a moment of silence, he spoke.

"I am… like so sorry. I didn't… You shouldn't… I deserved everything you gave me, and Uncle Andy's right. If Dad was here, I would probably have gotten worse. And I'm sorry I hit Shane. I feel really bad about it. And I'm sorry I left. And I'm sorry about being such a dick to you all of today. You shouldn't be crying. I'm sorry I made you cry, and I'm just really sorry, Mom", Silas broke down into tears thinking about all the trouble he'd caused, and all the emotions of that day, and most of all about his mother crying. She never cried. The last time he'd seen her cry was at… God, he was such an ass hole.

Nancy threw the covers off, running around the bed to where her son stood. She wrapped her arms around him, stroking his hair. Feeling him hugging her back almost brought her to tears all over. She kissed the top of his head again and again, whispering comforting words to him until he calmed down. Even after the tears stopped, she held onto him. Finally she heard a muffled sound coming from the boy. She released him enough so that he could speak, with her arms still around him.

"Umm… can I let go now", he asked, reminding his mother once again that he was still a teenager.

"Nope", she said, wrapping him back in a hug. She would have to remember to thank Andy. Maybe he could stay after all.


End file.
